Tennis net



R. S. BUNKER Feb. 7, 1933.

TENNIS NET Filed Deo.

BY H15 ATTORNE Patented Feb. 7, 1933 e UNITED-'STATES ROYCE sLBUNxER,'OF RAL'rrMoRE, MARYLAND, AssIGNOR To w, ein xNoX NEI'r'ANDl p TWINECOMPANY, `or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION OF'NRWJERISEY TENNISApplicationnled December 4, 1931. 'serial Nu.!5'za,95o.Y y

This invention relateslto nets,as tennis f nets, which.- areprovidedwitha marginal band usually Vfor the suspension thereof, and ithas forits object to improve this portion of such apnet. Ordinarily thisportion'of the net is formed by a'twofply band, ,as duck, whichreceivesfbetween` its plies the margin of thenetjpropeigthe two vpliesand net Uproper. being securedtogetherl by stitching penetratng-allthreeand extending length-4 wise ofthe band. This constructionisfaulty inthatit frequently happens; that `one or more strandswillfbe cutby thestitching needleso thatrif such'stra'nds are not @dis-v rupted at oncethey `will at least be so `far `weakened as to break whenthe netisinserv'- i i 4'view of such form;

:thereto in certain' other respects.

i Two forms of my invention are shown herein bywayfof example. Both arecharacterized by the securing of thebandplies or layers ,to the marginofthe net proper, Ywhich intervenes between them, at spaced points aarranged successively lengthwise4 of .the bandand alternatingwith thestrands, asy by means of rivets.` Bothv are also char acterized bysaidpliesxor layers vreaching beyond the net proper and having theirl freel.edgesv extending in opposite directions and lapping eachother landthereupon secured ltogether thus to form as it were a two-ply saddle tostraddle the cable which shall beV devoid of any outstanding seam orwelt that would exist ifthe two edges 4extended in the same directionand were secured together in that arrangement; but in one of these formsthe two plies are constituted by separate pieces `whereas-in theotherform they are partsof a single piece, the portion ofthe pieceintervening between the plies vbeing' `itself` folded lengthwise so. asto arch'over the cable. In the preferred form, as indicated, use rivetsas the means to secure the said band plies or layers to the margin ofthe nefPliOPeifv nd fI use them in such away thatth'eyare` not V onlynotvisible inthe-,finished net but that Y .any ,surface-unevenness. thatthey might otherwise produce atkv :,the'exposed. faces kof ig." l showsva tennis` net-land .cablelin elevation and inl the first-mentioned 4formthereof; y f

Fig.31is a section on `line EFS-43,11* i vation andgin the other form;'f f- Fig. 6 is a section on lineG-G, Fig. i l Referring, first, to thefirst form 1 is the net proper vand 2 the cable.` l

f The bandvis here composed of two separate plies 3 4- of y suitable:strong fabric,;as duck,

usually .employed to form the to'pband of a 'tennis lnet, and these` arein this example secured to` the Anet proper as yfollows:l Having(lappedfoutward, asatyflongitudinal edge Sport-ions of the said Apliesand. placed the plies againstthe lopposite faces of the uppermar--`fginal portionofthefnet proper so` that Vthe ,folds of the laps projectupwardly, the two .-theband is.avoided;'thev construction isualso Yfurther such that anysurfaceunevenness that jmightotherwisebe dueto thepresenceof. knots of the netproper being ybetween thepliesfisavoided-,at the' exposed` faces of the bandi y u -f i., yIng-thedrawing.. v i

l vFig.{2 is a vertically; sectional perspective f i Fig; 4 shows atennis net'and cable inele- I Y 7o.

F ig. 5 fis a vertically sectional perspective 1 4Vviewlof such otherform; and l v plies, are riveted to each other and thenetlproperibyrivet's (iA penetrating all three, 7

being washers on the rivets. The rivets arey placed,; as shown, oneafter ,another length- -wiseof the bandandzeach soas to penetrate Y an,yopeningV of the mesh of thenet and clear lof the strands thereof. Thetwo plies are Y then folded outwardly and upwardly, as at `8, andvnallytheir upper and vproj ectingv edge portions are bentv in oppositedirectionsand made to lap ,each othervas shown at.9 andare securedtogetheralong aline or` lines extendl ingilengthwise of theplies-,yasAby stitching` -10 (a stitching machine adapted toperform such work onthe g, eventually tubular band lOO Y being known" and requiring nodescription at this point.- lUsually the edgelof that ply` here);vthe'lap is so positioned that when the cable'Q is'present in the bandthe lap will rest on the cable and so form, as it were, thesad'dleportion of the band, which of course increases the durabilityofthe band which laps outward, of the other ply at the top of the bandwill be lapped on itself, as at 12, so as to avoid the presence of an'exterior raw edge.

Thus I not'only avoid any possibility of strands of the netbeing cutinassembling the band with the net proper but the net: ismade Vexceedinglystrong andldurable, largely because at the points wherewear is mostlikely toi manifest itself-at the top and bottom of the bandthere aretwo ofr'more thicknessesV of material.. By'attaching' the plies tothenetproper as disclosed the yrivetsfor other attaching means Gare at onceobscured by the pliesY and also une-vennes's at the exterior faces ofthe band is'substantially eliminated.

f vIn the formshown/by Figs.` 4'to;6 the same advantages'accrue. Thetwo'plies 13and514 are integralv parts of the same strip of fabric whichis folded'midway its Width and len h-V wise, as at 15, andreceives'be'tweenthe ayersv 18a and 14a thus resulting the vupper edgeportion ofthe net proper 1 to which f said layers are secured by rivets16 arranged on the cablewhenv the 'same isA introduced; ,f

one after another lengthwise of the strip andv each sonas, topenetratean opening ofthe mesh y vofV the net and clear of thestrands;then the fianking or marginal portions of the stripV -are'folded.upwardly :and outwardly to produce the two plies 13 and'lr-'andtheiredge portions are bent in opposite directions and made to` lap eachother, as at 18,V and secured together along line orlinesextend'inglengthwise of the plies, as by'stitching19,=so thatpreferably thelap will` rest, saddle-fashion,

the outer edgeYportion' maybe lapped inwardly-,asiat 20, to avoid a rawedge'.4 Y

' Sali'ent and independently7 novel features of my invention arethe'foldving of elongated plies-secured to the? interposed net `propermarginfby means Ypenetrating the plies and =net proper *and*` arrangedlengthwiseofthe :plies-outwardly from the net proper'and so Y astofextendf beyond said margin, together with securing of the pliestogetherbeyond said margin, whether yor not their upper 'edges projectoppositely and lap each other and' whether or not as so folded'theycover the securing means; the projection lof the outer or free edgesofplies in oppositedirec- VVtions and the lapping and securingfof themAtogether, however vthe plies may be other.-

wiseformed and assembled with the interposed-,margin of the net proper;and'fth'at i formation o'fsuchanet which is substantially shownl inFigs. 4to Gand characterized by a ,lengthwiseV substantiallyV midfold inan Velongated fabric strip, means to secure the Y two adjoining layersthus resulting to the interposed margin of the net proper, the foldingof the margins of the stripv outward,-v ly and so as to project beyondthe margin of the net proper, and means tosecure said strip marginstogetherabove the margin of the net proper. v

Having thusy fully described my invention whatl claim isz' 1 l. AQ netofthe class described comprising Y arnet proper, two elongated fabricplies extendinglengthwise of and betweenwhich a margin ofthe netiproperis interposed, means `pentrating the plies and the net properV andarranged lengthwise of the plies, for securing the plies and net properVtogether,1said plies being folded outwardlyfr'om the net proper vand asso folded extending beyondsaid marginthereof, and meansto secure theplies together beyond. said margin,-

tendinglengthwise-of'and between which a .margin ofthe net l:proper isinterposed,

means,"penetrating4 the plies fand: the vrnet Yproper and arrangedlengthwise of the plies,

forl securing the' plies andy net-'properto- Vgether, said plies beingfolded outwardly Vvfrom the net propel-rand as so `folded'extendingbeyond said margin thereof and project# 'ing at their free edgesinopposite directions Y Vand lappingeach other,vand;means to secure thelapping portions of the plies'together.

ing VaV net proper, two elongated fabricr plies extending lengthwiseofand between which a vmargin of the net'proper isv interposed,f aseries ofV vindependent means, varranged lengthwise of the plies andpenetrating them and the openings vof the Vvmesh of the net proper atpoints removed from allfthe strands ofthe latter, for securing saidplies'and Ynet proper together, said plies beingfolded outwardly fromVthe net properjand 'as-so foldedV rections and. lappingeachzother, andmeans ito 'secure thev lapping portions vvofthe pliesA together. l l y4. A net of the class described comprising a netproper, two elongated:fabric plies ex- 3. A net ofk the Class described :comprisf 2. A netl ofthe class described/comprising a net propeiyztwo elongated-fabric'pliesexf Vextending beyond said margin' thereof and i projecting Vat theirnfree edges ink opposite ditending lengthwiseof and betweenwh-ich* ameans, penetrating the plies and the' netV vproper andi Yarranged/lengthwise' -offthe plies for seourin the plies and net propertogether, sai plies being folded out-Y wardly from the net proper and asso folded covering said means and extending beyond said margin of thenet proper, and means to secure the plies together beyond said margin.-

6. A net of the class described comprising a net proper, a fabric strifolded upon itself substantially midway o its width and receivingbetween the two thereupon adjoining layers thereof a margin of the netproper,

means to secure said layers to said margin lengthwise of the strip, thestrip having vits own marginal portions folded outwardly and tprojecting beyond said'margin, and means to secure togetherfthe edges ofsaid marginal portions of the strip outward of the margin Y ofthe netproper. Y 4

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

A y y Y RoYCEgs. VBUNKER

